Anthony Edwards did not hesitate when asked about facing Victor Wembanyama late Sunday night, calling the Spurs star “one of a kind” after the Minnesota Timberwolves erased a 19-point deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs 104-103.
“He, bro, he’s so tall, bro,” Edwards said postgame. “Like, he take away everything. He take away the layup, jump shot, and he got good feet. He can move… yeah, he’s a one of a kind.”
Minnesota fell behind 16-0 to start the game and still trailed by double digits in the fourth quarter before flipping the outcome. “Had to get some stops,” Edwards said. “Switched the match up, put Julius on big fella… Jaden was a menace on defense tonight.”
Edwards pointed to Julius Randle’s physical approach against Wembanyama as a key adjustment. “Just physicality,” he said. “Wemby super skilled, got every move in the book, so just trying to be physical with him, bother him.”
Despite the defensive success late, Edwards cautioned against drawing long-term conclusions. “Can’t get too up on it cuz we got to play him again in like what a week or so,” he said. “So, he’ll be ready for us.”
Edwards scored 23 points and delivered the decisive basket, a banked-in runner with 16.8 seconds left. He said his late-game mindset is already established. “Anytime it’s the fourth quarter, I’m getting to the post,” Edwards said. “I worked on it, man. All summer.”
He explained why isolation post-ups have become his go-to option late. “If I run pick and roll, they going to trap me,” he said. “So, just getting to a spot… I’m just going to put them in the post.”
Facing Wembanyama directly created a rare moment of hesitation. “I ain’t never been confused,” Edwards said. “I was like, damn, do I got the shot? Do I drive him?”
That confusion led to a drive rather than a jumper. “For sure,” Edwards said when asked if he surprised Wembanyama. “He probably thought I was going to take a jump shot.”
Edwards also praised teammates for sustaining the comeback, including Donte DiVincenzo’s energy and Naz Reid’s production. “Donte was hitting shots. Julius brought us back in the game. Naz made some big plays,” he said.
Defensively, Edwards highlighted Jaden McDaniels’ impact. “Tonight made Jaden look like the defensive player of the year,” Edwards said. “He telling me to stay home during a play and blocking the shot.”
Wembanyama finished with 29 points in 27 minutes and was a plus-17, but missed a potential go-ahead jumper late after Randle’s pressure. Edwards left with respect, not relief.
“He take away everything,” Edwards repeated. “That’s what make him special.”
